Month: November 2012

In defence of editors and why delving into that drawer of old photos might be a mistake

I’m currently going through my editor’s parse of my final manuscript and he’s done a damn fine job of it I must say. What bothers me though is after I had been through it 99 times, he managed to find a lot of superfluous rubbish, awkward modifiers, twisted phrases, and even missing text. It’s truly amazing how one’s mind works when reading and proofing something you’ve written yourself. It’s like the eyes and brain just don’t connect to spot the bleeding obvious. Some of the worst offending phrases go into a sort of stealth mode right there in front of you. But once it’s highlighted by someone else, it jumps off the page, grabs your necktie and slams your forehead onto the paper. So kids, always remember to get an adult to check your work for you. Your readers deserve it.

And in a completely unrelated development, I came across some shocking photos from about 15 years ago, taken at Lewes Castle in Sussex. Those of you who know me may recall that I used to indulge in a bit of SCA swordplay. Or at least talk a lot about it. Well, here’s the proof of those halcyon days when all you needed was a stout piece of rattan and a 2-litre bottle of Strongbow for afters.